It starts with little things. With a cigarette on the balcony, the smoke of which disturbs the neighbors. Or with a rolling suitcase that rumbles down the hallway at night because guests check into the neighbor’s apartment that is advertised as a vacation rental. And then come the bigger questions: Does it have to be the new heat pump? Should the ownership company bear the costs for the new lawn in the yard if the neighborhood children are destroying it with their soccer ball? And usually at some point the sentence comes out that annoys everyone in the homeowners’ association (WEG): “It can’t be that we all pay for it!”
Anyone who is a member of a WEG, whether owning a home or an investment, has not only acquired a property, but has also become part of a community with its own laws. There are majorities, minorities, coalitions and usually a party in permanent opposition. There are those who block any change because they feel ignored. There are others who want to kill every problem with a resolution. And there are meetings in which you just wanted to talk about repairing a door – but two hours later the neighbors no longer greet each other and are threatening to call lawyers. And then there are the phantom WEG members who never come to these meetings because it is far too stressful for them.
The conflicts in homeowners’ associations are not just private dramas, they also have an economic dimension. After all, there are more than 9 million condominiums in Germany, and according to the federal government around 427,000 homeowner communities. On average, such a community comprises 22 units – and therefore a lot of assets that need to be managed together. This has the potential for conflict.
The Federal Court of Justice has repeatedly dealt with such disputes in recent years. But even if one of the WEG parties sues against a decision and ends up being right, the dispute can escalate. It may be that the successful plaintiff also has to pay a proportion of the legal costs because the costs affect the community. Anyone who has fought their way through instances for years may feel doubly punished: first by the conflict, then by the bill. For a community, this is the beginning of another conflict that not only puts a financial burden on the WEG, but also destroys the peace in the home.
Do you know of disputes like this? We want to know what homeowners’ associations are arguing about – about renovations, energy costs or rules for living together? How did conflicts escalate in your WEG? Were you able to resolve this yourself or did the parties have to go to court? Or was there only one way out in the end: selling the property and separating from WEG?
Tell us about your experiences in the form or register by email community-redaktion@zeit.de. We would like to publish selected articles after consultation with you, anonymously if you wish.